10/26/2026, 12:54 PM
annnndd this is officially a year old thread feel free to electrocute me
the suddenness of his departure catches her ill-prepared. fa’liya startles at the great shout that sends the herd into motion, her ears flattening briefly before she remembers herself. then she is running, too, breaking from the shelter of the trees several strides behind her brother. snow gives beneath her paws, deeper than she anticipated, and she must bound through it where caan seems able to cleave a path with little effort. already, the distance between them begins to widen.the herd scatters before them in a great confusion of limbs and antlers. fa’liya keeps her eyes upon the yearling, struggling to distinguish its smaller shape among the fleeing bodies. there! she veers sharply, taking a wider course to discourage the young caribou from rejoining its elders. instinct offers some guidance, though she has little experience by which to judge her own movements. she knows only what she has watched others do, what her father once taught her. a sudden turn from the yearling nearly sends her sprawling, but she catches herself and presses onward, snapping at the animal's retreating heels.
already, her heart is laboring terribly. its uneven hammering makes itself known beneath her ribs, and every breath seems to bring less air than the last. she swallows against the familiar tightness in her throat, unwilling to surrender so quickly. caan is somewhere ahead, and she is determined that he should find her useful.
fa’liya gathers what strength remains in her narrow limbs and lunges toward the yearling's flank, teeth flashing in an attempt to turn it back toward her brother. whether she finds purchase or merely frightens it further, she cannot tell. there is scarcely time to think before her paws strike the snow again, her breathing reduced to a thin, audible wheeze as she struggles to maintain the pursuit.